Just two days after his younger sister died in a car crash, isaiah thomas decided to play in the first game of the NBA playoffs. The Boston Celtics hosted the 8th seed Chicago Bulls and lost 106-102. It was a very emotional pregame ceremony. Isaiah Thomas couldn't hold back tears as he received support from his teammates and the crowd. He got a standing ovation after his first field goal that gave the Celtics a five point lead. Thomas finished the game with 33 points, five rebounds and six assists, while shooting 10 of 18 from the field. Al Horford also had a big game with 19 points, seven rebounds and eight assists, with great shooting percentage of 62 percent.
Avery Bradley added 14 points for the Celtics, while both Jae Crowder and Marcus Smart had nine points.
The rise of the Bulls
The Chicago Bulls grabbed their spot in the playoffs on the last day of the regular season and they clearly went to Boston as the underdogs. The team found their rhythm in the first game of the postseason as they took game one at the TD Garden. Jimmy Butler led the Bulls with 30 points (23 in the second half), nine rebounds and three assists in 40 minutes of play. Robin Lopez had a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Bobby Portis came up huge off the bench with 19 points and nine rebounds. Dwyane Wade had a quiet night with just 11 points, five rebounds and six assists in 33 minutes, while Rajon Rondo added decent numbers on his stat sheet with 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists in 26 minutes on the floor.
The weak spots
The main difference on the floor was rebounding, as the Bulls out-rebounded the Celtics 53-36. Also, they didn't have support off the bench. Kelly Olynyk had an awful game with just seven points in 23 minutes. Marcus Smart played 30 minutes but also failed to score in double digits as he added nine points to his score sheet.
It is only game one, though, and the Celtics are still the favorites to take the series, but they need to do a much better job out there to turn things around.
Isaiah Thomas definitely deserves a lot of credit for his performance. He didn't talk to the media after the game, which is understandable. Despite the tragedy, he was still the best player for the Celtics, and with some support from his teammates, Boston will probably win this series.
The next game is scheduled for Tuesday at 8:00 pm.
